Victorian-style garden returns to Como Park Murray Middle School

Transcription

Victorian-style garden returns to Como Park Murray Middle School
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May 2015
Victorian-style garden
returns to Como Park
By Roger Bergerson
The first in a series of formal gardens
to be established around the Visitor
Center and the Marjorie McNeely
Conservatory in Como Regional
Park will open early this summer.
The Centennial Garden will
serve as a focal point for observances
to celebrate the 100th anniversary of
the conservatory and pay tribute to
those who worked to get it built and
subsequently become a Twin Cities
landmark.
“The design of the Centennial
Garden harkens back to several
legacy gardens in Como’s past,”
explained Michelle Furrer, director
and campus manager of the Como
Park Zoo and Conservatory.
These included “garden rooms”
near the conservatory that featured
fountains, arbors and plantings. It
was a style of garden, Furrer said, that
was representative of the English
Victorian era that the conservatory
evoked.
Horace
Cleveland,
the
renowned landscape architect who
shaped the early park, favored the
concept of a “landscape park” as an
escape from city life.
Frederick Nussbaumer, early
park superintendent, also was a
disciple of the school of picturesque
landscaping, but recognized the
importance of recreational facilities
and tried to balance the two
concepts.
Furrer noted that the
construction of the Visitor Center
about 10 years ago eliminated the
McKnight Garden near the
conservatory. While plans called for
formal gardens to be established on
what became lawn areas, funding did
not become available until recently.
Support for the Centennial
Garden included $272,000 from the
Minnesota Arts and Cultural
Heritage Fund, as well as a $168,000
contribution from Como Friends, a
nonprofit organization.
The garden will provide a
The Centennial Garden is the first element of a plan to bring back
botanical features that park visitors would have seen at the time the
Marjorie McNeely Conservatory was built 100 years ago.
natural gathering place for daily
visitors, as well as a relaxing setting
for after-hours events, Furrer said.
Observances
of
the
Conservatory centennial will kick off
on June 19 and continue through
Nov. 8.
Roger Bergerson writes about community
news and history regularly in the Bugle.
Murray Middle School hits its stride
Parents and staff of former junior high say school’s second year with grades 6-8 is calmer and less crowded
negative academic experience.
But for those who stuck it out
and
returned
in fall 2014, the year
It is well-documented that the 2013has
gone
better
than expected.
14 school year did not go well for
“We
got
off
to a great start this
Murray Middle School. After a year
year,”
said
Murray
Principal Stacy
of weathering what some perceived
Theien-Collins.
“We
did a lot of
as chaos created by the school
work
last
year.
We
did
a lot of
district’s implementation of too
listening,
learning
and
collaborating
many changes in one year, a number
with families, students, teachers and
of teachers and Murray families left
administrators. We got a lot of
input.”
A 200-student drop in
enrollment—due in part to the
graduation of a large class of eighth
graders who were grandfathered in
after the district changed attendance
boundaries in 2013—and a $2
million remodeling project that
created a new wing for the sixth grade
created more elbow room in the
building.
But one of the biggest changes
this year is a proactive, rather than
reactive, approach to issues,
according to Theien-Collins. “We are
now driving where we want the
school climate to go,” she said. In the
2014-15 school year, the school has
implemented policies that support
A sure sign of spring
staff and help those students who
That flash of yellow in the trees? It means the yellow-rumped warbler struggle most, Theien-Collins said.
has arrived in Minnesota and spring is here. Clay Christensen will tell
New support staff has been
you all about it on page 11. Photo by Harris Mallory
added to help counselors and
By Alex Lodner
Batter up!
School baseball
season is underway
at Como.
Pages 16
the school, and the district.
Last year, nearly 900 students
were enrolled at the school as it
transitioned from a grade 7-8 junior
high school to a 6-8 middle school.
Classrooms were overcrowded and a
new disciplinary policy established
districtwide left teachers feeling
unsupported and families worrying
about their children’s safety and
teachers with student behavior issues,
one of the biggest concerns families
had last year. The additional staffing
enables counselors to spend more
one-on-one time with each student,
and while special education
specialists once worked separately
from classroom teachers, they are
now teamed with each grade and
have a better grasp of what each
grade’s specific needs are.
“Last year, 20 percent of
students had two or more behaviorbased referrals. As of midyear, that
number was closer to 7 percent,”
Theien-Collins said. “Students who
have between two and five referrals
are placed in Tier 2, which allows
them to receive more support.”
Fall semester data shows the
improvements. Dismissals have seen
a 55 percent reduction and
suspensions have seen 32 percent
fewer students being suspended.
“Last year, we didn’t have
enough resources to help those
students and it became a cycle of
being sent back to the classroom
before their needs were met, further
disrupting the classroom,” TheienCollins said. This was a common
complaint from teachers last year as
well: having disruptive students
Murray to 6
2
P A R K
B U G L E
C I T Y
Como Park
The District 10 Como Community
Council meets at 7 p.m. on the third
Tuesday of each month at the Historic
Streetcar Station, 1224 N. Lexington
Parkway. Contact 651-644-3889 or
www.district10comopark.org.
District 10 chair reflects on his
two terms on the district council
I took over as chair of District 10 in
February 2010. Immediately, there
were pressing organizational needs
involving
the staffing
model and
general
operational
health. I
was
fortunate to
have
a
board full
of members
willing to
Jon Knox
step
forward to
help make difficult decisions and take
the steps needed to regain
organizational stability and the trust
of the community at large.
By the end of 2010, we
instituted a new more efficient
staffing model and completely
updated our employee handbook,
which brought it up to current
standards. These efforts dominated
my first calendar year as chair of
District 10. However, with all of this
going on I am proud to say we still
had strong work being done by our
committees, dealing with issues from
permit parking to the developing
situation at Lexington and
Larpenteur avenues with MGM
Liquor and Walgreen’s. The District
10 Environment Committee also
stayed active during this transitional
period.
What I learned during my first
year with District 10 is that is it easy
to underestimate the important role
district councils have in our
communities, and I think it is vital
we recognize that and promote
membership in the community
councils as valuable volunteer work. I
also learned to a new degree what
individuals working as a team could
accomplish.
I am blessed to have worked
with many great volunteers and staff
over my five years, but perhaps most
blessed to have worked with Marcy
Micek. Marcy served as the District
10 treasurer for four years. Marcy
served her community with
exuberance and vigor and yet in a
quiet humble manner. Beyond a
great volunteer for the Como
neighborhood, Marcy was a great
friend. Marcy Micek passed away on
February 15, 2012. Marcy was the
type of volunteer who helps define all
that is good about district councils.
As my second full term and time
as chair ends, I am thankful for the
opportunity to have served District
10. I hope that in leaving my time is
remembered for fostering mutual
respect among individuals and
community members. My takeaway
will be the friends I made along the
way and the laughs we have shared. I
know that I leave District 10 in good
hands, but make no mistake—I will
be watching. — Jon Knox, District 10
board chair
District 10 Sunday Series: Como
Woodland Outdoor Classroom
Meet at the Como Woodland
Outdoor Classroom Sunday, May 3,
at 1:30 p.m., and learn about the
history and future of this 17-acre
natural area in the heart of St. Paul.
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St. Paul Public Schools
environmental educator Josh
Leonard will talk about how this
little-known gem of Como Park can
be used for educational purposes. St.
Paul Parks and Recreation
environmental coordinator Adam
Robbins
will
discuss
the
management of the different habitats
found in the woodland.
The 90-minute presentation
will include a tour (weather
permitting). Please be prepared to be
outdoors. Meet at the Joyce Kilmer
Memorial Fireplace, just west of the
Como Pool. Rain location: Midway
Picnic Pavilion.
For more information, call
District 10 office, 651-644-3889
Falcon Heights and Lauderdale
The Falcon Heights City Council meets
the second and fourth Wednesdays of each
month at 7 p.m. in Falcon Heights City
Hall, 2077 W. Larpenteur Ave. Contact
651-792-7600
or
www.falconheights.org.
The Lauderdale City Council
meets on the second and fourth Tuesday
of each month at 7:30 p.m. in
Lauderdale City Hall, 1891 Walnut
St. Contact www.ci.lauderdale.mn.us
or 651-792-7650.
Learn about Bell Museum’s move
The cities of Falcon Heights and
Lauderdale, along with the Falcon
Heights-Lauderdale Lions Club, will
sponsor an evening with Dr. Susan
Weller, executive director of the
University of Minnesota’s Bell
Museum of Natural History, on
Monday, April 27, at 7 p.m. at
Falcon Heights City Hall.
Weller will discuss the museum’s
move to the St. Paul campus on the
southwest corner of Larpenteur and
Cleveland avenues.
Lauderdale garage sale is May 16
Lauderdale’s citywide garage sale will
be held Saturday, May 16.
Lauderdale residents must call City
Hall 651-792-7650 by May 8 to
register your sale location and let
organizers know if you have items of
special interest to list. There is no
charge to register and the city does
the promotion. A list of garage sale
locations will be available at City Hall
the week before the event. If you are
having a garage sale, don’t forget to
put a garage sale sign in your yard.
Sales may begin at 8 a.m.
St. Anthony Park
The District 12 Community Council
meets on the second Thursday of each
month at 7 p.m. at South St. Anthony
Recreation Center (SSA), 890 Cromwell
Ave. To find when council committees
meet, go to www.sapcc.org or call 651649-5992.
Sewer repair on Raymond Avenue
A sewer-repair project in south St.
Anthony Park has shut down
Raymond Avenue from Manvel
Street to West Hampden Avenue
through early June. The City of St.
Paul’s Public Works has set up
detours using Energy Park Drive,
Highway 280 and West Territorial
Road. Local parking is banned on the
park side of Manvel, Bayless Avenue
and Hampden.
The city said it expects to
complete the project by June 5.
Contact Aaron Hass with the City of
St. Paul Sewer Utility at 651-2666171 if you have any questions.
Raymond Avenue businesses are
open and accessible during this
project. Support your local businesses
and continue to use them.
Como outdoor classroom to be
dedicated at public event in May
The public is invited to attend the
dedication of the Como Woodland
Outdoor Classroom on Wednesday,
May 20, at 11:30 a.m. in Como
Regional Park.
The Como Woodland Outdoor
Classroom (CWOC) has been a
community-driven project since
2006. Supporters, students and
community members will gather
outdoors on the southside of the
Como Woodland between the
Kilmer Memorial Fireplace and the
Como Park Pool at 1221 Como Ave.
Tim Chase, Murray Middle
School science teacher and MAEE’s
2014 Environmental Educator of the
Year, will be the keynote speaker. He
will share his experiences on how
giving all students opportunities to
explore the natural world arouses
their curiosity and opens up new
career possibilities for them.
Three school groups that have
used the CWOC extensively will be
attending the dedication: Great River
Montessori, Murray and Como Park
Senior High. After the ceremony,
students will plant a tree near the
Kilmer Fireplace and take part in a
habitat-restoration activity in the
woodland. The public is also
encouraged to take part.
This 18-acre parcel located at
the southwest corner of the park, is
the largest woodland left in Como
Regional Park. What had been a
declining woodlot, overrun with
invasive species, trash and random
bike trails, is now on its way to
becoming a healthy forest and prairie
outdoor learning space. Invasive
species are beginning to loosen their
grip on Minnesota foliage and are
being replaced by native wildflowers
and shrubs. More than 2,500 feet of
ADA-accessible trails have been
installed.
The idea for developing an
outdoor classroom in Como Park
came from members of the District
10
Community
Council’s
Environment Committee in the late
1990s after working to remove
buckthorn from the woodlot. In
2006, these committee members
formed the Como Woodland
Advisory Committee, and funding
was secured from the City of St. Paul
and various other sources to proceed
with the project.
The long process of restoration
has been done through the hard
work of community volunteers and
students with the support of the City
of St. Paul Parks and Recreation
Department, and also with a grant
from the Environmental and Natural
Resources Trust Fund.
The woodland will continue to
need community and student
volunteers to help maintain the
outdoor classroom’s multiple plant
communities. Parks and Rec is
developing a pilot program called
Eco Stewards to support and
coordinate those volunteers.
The CWOC’s mission is to be a
place of learning, recreation and
nature appreciation for all ages and
species. A fox family has been in
residence for several years. More than
40 species of birds have been
documented using this urban
woodland at different times of the
year.
The restored Joyce Kilmer
Memorial Fireplace, which stands at
the center of the woodland, was
rededicated with much fanfare in
May 2011. Now it’s time to dedicate
the surrounding woodland’s new
incarnation as the Como Woodland
Outdoor Classroom. All are
welcome.
If it rains the ceremony will be
held at the Midway Picnic Shelter at
the corner of Midway Parkway and
Horton Avenue. For more
information,
go
to
www.comowoodland.org.
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Author’s Peace Corps work is foundation for book
By Kristal Leebrick
Stephen Snook spent 15 years
writing his first book of fiction, One
Degree South, published in 2014 by
Shipwreckt Books.
The story—a tale of love,
witchcraft and political turmoil in
Africa that’s based on Snook’s
experience serving two terms in the
Peace Corps in Gabon—“never let
me go,” he said.
“I understand why the Greeks
thought of the Muses in the way they
seemed to have, namely that writing
comes from somewhere; it is
something from outside as much as
from within.”
Snook, the son of a retired
Luther Seminary professor who
spent his high school years in St.
Anthony Park, describes his early
years as fairly conventional: His
family moved from New York to
Minnesota when he was a teenager.
He and his three siblings attended
Murray High School. After
graduating in 1972, he attended the
University of Minnesota.
After college, he felt compelled
to go “someplace as different as
possible from what I grew up
knowing.” He joined the Peace
Corps “to challenge myself by doing
what the Peace Corps once called ‘the
toughest job you’ll ever love.’ ”
He met his wife, Rosine, in
Gabon, and after his Peace Corps
service ended, he worked in Zaire
(now Congo) building rural health
centers. He left there to attend
graduate school at the University of
Florida, where he received a
doctorate in political science in 1996.
He and his family returned to Africa,
where he led a project in Ghana
assisting the electoral commission
administer elections and working
with local governments to help them
do a better job of delivering needed
services to citizens, he said.
The family moved to South
Africa, then to Guinea, and in 2009
settled in Vermont, where Snook
now works for Tetra Tech, a
company that helps developing
countries
address
water,
environment, energy, infrastructure
and
resource
management
challenges. He still travels extensively
to Africa.
One Degree South is described as
a “sweeping tale of love, politics and
witchcraft set in the oil-rich nation of
Gabon just as the Cold War ends.
The U.S. relationship with African
dictators suddenly changes and
election fervor, which dominates the
headlines in African capitols, sweeps
through the remotest of tiny
villages.”
Snook’s work in Gabon more
than 30 years ago is the foundation
for the book and his connection to
the book’s publisher, Shipwreckt
Books of Lanesboro, Minn., which is
owned by another former Peace
Corps volunteer, Tom Driscoll.
One Degree South is available at
Micawber’s Books, 2238 Carter Ave.
You can also find out more about the
book at www.stevesnook.com or go
to www.shipwrecktbooks.com.
One Degree South (at left) is based on the author’s
experiences while serving in the Peace Corps in Gabon,
Africa. Above, Stephen Snook with his wife, Rosine;
daughters, Jessica and Gabriella; and dog, Kit. Photo
courtesy of Stephen Snook
Muffuletta server stars in independent film
The Center makes its Minnesota debut this week at Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival
By Kristal Leebrick
Matt Cici had just returned from five
long weeks in South Dakota working
on a film crew when he opened his
computer and saw a posting for a
paid acting role in a feature film that
was to be made in Minnesota.
“It was perfect timing,” he said.
Cici, a waiter at Muffuletta,
2260 Como Ave., landed the starring
role in The Center, a 72-minute
feature film that portrays a young
college graduate at a dead-end job on
a search for meaning in his life. He
joins a self-help group, where he first
finds hope but then finds the group
is a cult with many secrets.
The film will have its Minnesota
debut on Wednesday, April 22, at
7:20 p.m. at St. Anthony Main
Theatre, 115 S.E. Main St.,
Minneapolis, as part of the
Minneapolis St. Paul International
Film Festival. The Center will have a
second showing on Friday, April 24,
at 9:20 p.m. A question-and-answer
period with the film’s cast and crew
will follow each showing.
Jonathon Demme (producer of
Silence of the Lambs, Philadelphia and
The Manchurian Candidate) is the
executive producer of the film, which
was written and directed by
Minnesota filmmaker Charlie Griak.
The Center had its world
premiere at the 25th anniversary
Cinequest Film Festival in California
in February 2015. There the
audience and jury selected it for an
encore screening on the festival’s final
day. The film then went to a festival
in Australia. The Twin Cities festival
downtown St. Paul in 2011, Cici
said. Demme got involved in the film
after working with Griak on an
animated film short. Griak shared a
rough cut of his film with Demme,
who liked the film and came on
board as its executive producer and
presenter.
“He let us use his studio, so
Charlie got to work in New York
with some of the most awardwinning post-production people,”
Cici said. “They were editing Noah
while editing our film. It was a really
awesome other-worldly experience
for a lot of us here.”
Cici, who grew up in Maple
Grove, said he got his acting start at
Osseo High School doing one-act
plays. He spent two years at North
Hennepin Community College and
acted in some plays there, as well as in
community theater in Maple Grove
and the Anoka area. He spent his last
two years in college at Hamline
Matt Cici is starring in the film The
Center, which makes its University, where he also did some
theater and received a degree in
Minnesota debut this week.
communications studies and film
studies.
will be its third showing.
Cici has had experience in front
The movie was filmed mostly in
Treatby gracing
Yourself
our oasis
2233 Energy Park Drive,
St. Paul 55108
651.647.9000
theresashair.com
of and behind the camera and has
directed and made his own feature
film. “When writing and directing
you are very much involved in
acting,” he said. Directors and writers
need to understand the skills brought
into acting to do their job, he said.
Cici will be part of the panel
discussions following the film’s
showings this week. The film has
garnered some positive press,
including an upcoming feature in the
fashion magazine Marie Claire,
which named Cici “best dressed” at
Cinequest in February.
To learn more about the film, go
to www.thecentermovie.com. To
learn more about the Minneapolis St.
Paul International Film Festival, go
to http://mspfilm.org.
St. Anthony Park: The new Hollywood
There must be something in the water at Milton Square in St. Anthony Park. Muffuletta server Matt Cici isn’t the only film star at the
corner of Carter and Como avenues.
On a Sunday afternoon in late March, a crew of production people
and actors filled Micawber’s Books for a long night of filming for a movie
by local screenwriter and moviemaker David Ash.
Micawber’s owner Tom Bielenberg said the store was used for two
scenes “of a minute or two each” that take place at a poetry reading in a
bookstore.
“It was a lot of fun,” Bielenberg said.
The most interesting aspect of the evening for Bielenberg? “How
many shots they took of every scene, how many takes of every possible
scene.”—Kristal Leebrick
St. Anthony Park Area Seniors’ Senior Cinema Series
“Into the Woods” 2-4 p.m.
Thursday, May 14th, at SAP Library
Diana Koren
Ruthann Ives
A witch tasks a childless baker and his wife with procuring magical items
from classic fairy tales to reverse the curse put on their family tree.
Starring Anna Kendrick, Meryl Streep,
and Chris Pine.
PG. 125 min.
St. Anthony Park Library, 2245 Como Ave.
651-642-0411 / www.sppl.org
651-642-9052 www.sapaseniors.org
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C O M M E N T A R Y
Park
Bugle
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www.parkbugle.org
Improving urban public education—
eight ideas from a veteran teacher
P.O. Box 8126
St. Paul, MN 55108
www.parkbugle.org
651-646-5369
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Advertising and
editorial deadline:
May 6. The paper
will be published
on May 19.
The Park Bugle is a nonprofit
community newspaper serving St.
Anthony Park, Lauderdale, Falcon
Heights and Como Park. The Bugle
reports and analyzes community news
and promotes the exchange of ideas and
opinions in these communities. The
Bugle strives to promote freedom of
expression, enhance the quality of life in
the readership communities and
encourage community participation.
Opinions expressed in the Bugle by
the editor, writers and contributors do
not necessarily represent the opinions of
the board of directors, Park Press, Inc.
Copyright 2015, Park Press, Inc. All
rights reserved.
The Park Bugle is published by
Park Press, Inc., a 501(c)3 nonprofit
organization guided by an elected board
of directors.
Currently serving on the board are
Grant Abbott, Lynn Abrahamsen, Ted
Blank, Emily Blodgett, Betsy Currie,
Ann Fendorf, Michael Griffin, John
Landree, Bob Milligan, P.J. Pofahl,
Glen Skovholt, Jan
Sedgewick, Matt Vierling
Kathy Wellington.
It’s hardly news that less than half of
the kids in Minneapolis and St. Paul
public schools are proficient in
reading and math. Education
“experts” have weighed in on this
topic, but we haven’t often heard the
perspective of classroom teachers.
What follows are eight ideas for
improving urban education; they’re
based on what I learned from 34
years of teaching in public and
private schools:
1. Provide one year of free
preschool for all children from lowincome families. Critics of urban
public schools rarely acknowledge
that many kids come to kindergarten
already a year or more behind. “How
is that possible?” you might ask. If
prospective kindergarteners have not
been read to at home, they’re behind.
If they do not know that letters
represent sounds and that numbers
represent numerical values, they’re
behind. If they have little experience
with drawing and coloring, they’re
behind. Preschool for everyone
would help level the kindergarten
playing field.
2. Cut district administrative
costs to the bone; use the savings to
pay for preschool and intensive
reading instruction. Some years ago,
I worked in a quasi-administrative
capacity with St. Paul Public Schools.
It was my observation that there were
Thanks!
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Thank you to our readers and local businesses who helped us raise
$37,076 in our 2014-15 fund drive. This nonprofit, 41-year-old
community resource would not be able to continue publishing
without your tax-deductible contributions. Once again, thank you.
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a check to Park Bugle, P.O. Box 8126, St. Paul, MN 55108.
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$35,000
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roughly four levels of administration
between the superintendent and the
principals; I don’t think this situation
has changed. Would anyone notice if
we cut two of these levels? I doubt it.
3. Make reading education an
absolute priority. To succeed in any
academic subject (and to become
knowledgeable citizens), students
must learn to read. Starting in second
grade, students who are significantly
behind in reading should be put in
small, intensive reading classes (no
more than 10 students per class) for
half of every school day until they
catch up.
4. Make it easier to remove
underperforming teachers (and
principals). Most teachers work hard
and do a fine job, but there are some
who do not. Under the current
teacher union agreement with the St.
Paul Public Schools, it takes a
principal at least one year of
observations, documentation and
meetings
to
remove
an
underperforming teacher (the
equivalent of part-time job). Let’s
give underperformers three months
to improve their craft; if significant
progress is not shown by the end of
this time period, termination should
immediately follow.
5. Layoffs (when necessary)
should be based more on teacher
quality and less on teacher seniority.
It’s unconscionable to put anything
other than teacher quality first when
it comes to deciding which teachers
should stay and which ones should
move on. Many districts now require
principals to evaluate teachers several
times a year—let’s make use of that
information.
6. Limit standardized testing to
one week each school year. Students
improve when they show up for
school, stay at the same school and
receive good instruction. Students are
not helped by spending a month
each year on standardized tests.
7. Allow teachers to take
ownership of their instruction.
Unfortunately, many school districts
now take a top-down, “stick to the
script” approach to supporting
instruction. Successful schools value
teacher input and encourage teachers
(and students) to be creative, take
risks and think outside the box.
8. Pay bonuses to teachers who
serve in lower-achieving schools.
Higher-achieving schools tend to
attract the most highly regarded
teachers; lower-achieving schools too
often are left with inexperienced
teachers and high staff turnover (a
double whammy for students). To
keep top teachers at lower-achieving
schools, let’s make it worth their
while by paying a $10,000 annual
bonus.
Urban teachers are practical,
they work very hard, and they know
a lot. They know that some urban
kids need a preschool boost if they
are to succeed in higher grades. They
know that excellent teachers and
strong principal leadership matter.
They know that focused, sustained,
small-group instruction matters.
Improving urban education is not an
impossible task. Let’s make it happen.
Bill Leslie taught at St. Anthony Park Elementary School from 1999 to 2013. He
is retired and now lives in Roseville.
L E T T E R S
The Bugle welcomes commentaries and letters to the editor. Send them
to editor@parkbugle.org.
$25,000
$20,000
$15,000
$10,000
$5,000
No one asked him
Once there was a Norwegian
bachelor farmer who lived alone on
a very nice farm. From all outward
appearances he seemed quite satisfied
with his place in life. On a sunny
summer’s day there was a knock at
his door. When he opened it he
found a small group of fine-looking
men and women with clipboards in
hand.
To his astonishment he was told
that they were in the process of
deciding what kind of new home he
should have. What dimensions, kind
of siding, driveway access and all
manner of personal decisions a new
homeowner has to make. Apparently
this very nice, dedicated and wellintentioned group had been meeting
amongst themselves and with various
township officials for nearly two years
to come up with probable
specifications for change.
My farmer friend thought this
to be quite curious and downright
presumptuous in that no one asked
him if he was even interested in
building anything. He listened
politely, suggested that they go to
town for a coffee, and come back and
then ask him if he wants to change
any
part
of
his
living
accommodations. As he said, “Then
maybe there will be a reason to look
at your clipboards.”
(That is the reason I chose not
to fill out the recent ADU surveys
Parts I, II and III.)
Jack Neely
St. Anthony Park
M A Y
2 0 1 5
n
P A R K
Donate your gently used books,
CDs and DVDs to library book sale
The St. Anthony Park Library
Association is seeking donations for
its annual book sale to be held during
the St. Anthony Park Arts Festival on
Saturday, June 6.
The association is looking for
books, CDs and DVDs that are in
good
condition.
Textbooks,
magazines, cassette tapes and VHS
tapes will not be accepted.
Please leave your donations at
the book cart in the lower level of the
St. Anthony Park Library, 2245
Como Ave. (outside the auditorium).
If your books are in boxes or
bags, there is no need to remove
them. Just place the bags or boxes on
or near the cart inside the library.
Please don’t put your donated items
in the library’s book return.
The money raised from the sale
goes directly toward library programs
and facility improvements. The
library association helps fund the
children’s Summer Reading Program,
improved landscaping around the
building, and such activities as the
February Silent Movie Night and
weekly story times.
If you have any questions or
have a large number of items to
donate and would like them picked
up, please e-mail Susan Dean at
smdean16@gmail.com.
B U G L E
5
Wine Beer Spirits
"The best little wine shop you've
never heard of..."
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2236 Carter Ave., St. Paul, 651.645.5178
M-Th 10 a.m.- 8 p.m., F-Sat. 10 a.m.-10 p.m.
www.thelittlewineshoppe.com
SAPAS to host June fundraiser
at Giggle’s at state fairgrounds
By Michelle Christianson
Organizations often talk about
“raising funds and raising friends,”
and that’s exactly what the St.
Anthony Park Area Seniors board
intends to do with its first-ever
fundraising event on Sunday, June
14, from 3 to 6 pm. A $35 ticket will
get you food and beer (and other
beverages) at Giggle’s Campfire Grill
on the Minnesota State Fairgrounds,
as well as music, a silent auction and
information about the activities the
organization sponsors.
There will be at least 35 craft
beers from local breweries to sample
(free with the ticket) and the food is
an abbreviated version of the menu
Giggle’s offers during the fair.
Just as important as the food
and drink is the opportunity for
neighbors to meet and learn about
the important work SAPAS does.
“We want people to know that
SAPAS is a vibrant organization
serving more than the very elderly or
homebound,” says board member
Katherine Eklund. Besides health
care, rides to appointments and
Meals on Wheels, SAPAS offers
exercise classes, respite support for
caregivers, social outings and much
more. (You really must see their
Music in the Park season ends
with Brazilian guitar duo concert
The Schubert Club’s Music in the
Park Series 2014-15 season will
conclude with Brazilian-born
guitarists Sérgio and Odair Assad in
their Music in the Park Series debut
Sunday, May 10, at 4 p.m. at St.
Anthony Park United Church of
Christ, 2129 Commonwealth Ave. A
preconcert discussion will begin at 3
p.m.
The Assad brothers have set the
benchmark for all other guitarists by
creating a new standard of guitar
innovation,
ingenuity
and
website sapaseniors.org!) They are
also focusing on issues of housing
and community building.
Because state and grant funds
are shrinking, a new source of
income was needed to supplement
individual and corporate donations.
Expenses, including those for staff,
facilities,
administration,
communication and supplies
continue to grow.
Tickets will be available at a
number of local businesses,
including Tim & Tom’s Speedy
Market and Stout’s Pub, and online
at the group’s website soon. Local
businesses, including the University
of Minnesota golf course, are also
donating items and services for the
silent auction, and local musicians
will provide music. This is an event
not to be missed.
expression. Their artistry and
ensemble playing come from a family
rich in Brazilian musical tradition.
They have worked with such
renowned artists as Yo-Yo Ma, Nadja
Salerno-Sonnenberg,
Paquito
D’Rivera, Gidon Kremer and Dawn
Upshaw.
Tickets are $30 and available in
a limited quanitity. You can buy
them
online
at
schubert.org/musicinthepark or call
651-292-3268.
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Two great condos just across the street from
St. Paul campus of U. of M. Both with two
bedrooms, one bath, one car garage, and just
under 900 sq. feet. 1261 Cleveland Ave. N.
Unit 1B and 1269 Cleveland
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Nancy Meeden
Coldwell Banker Burnet
Office: 651-282-9650
Mobile: 612-790-5053
nmeeden@cbburnet.com
6
Murray from 1
returned to their classroom without
much, or any, repercussion for their
actions.
“We now have a better menu of
services for Tier 2 students so we can
better respond to the needs of each
individual student,” Collins said.
“Disruptive students are kept out of
the classroom longer, which means a
better classroom experience for the
rest of the students.”
Additional changes, such as
added recreational and movement
time, the implementation of a
Positive Behavior Intervention (PBI)
program, a partnership with New
Lens Urban Mentoring, input from a
parent advisory board council, a
School Climate Improvement team,
new behavioral intervention staff and
the Murray Core Values Program
have also helped move the school in
the right direction, she said.
“The Murray Cores Value
Program, for example, intentionally
teaches students behavior expectation
at our school,” she said. “These core
values are taught in a Core Values
Foundation course and reinforced
during all-school assemblies so that
everyone is on the same page.”
Assistant Superintendent Lisa
Sayles-Adams is proud and
supportive of the work that TheienCollins has done at Murray.
Sayles-Adams has been in her
position since last year, having
P A R K
previously served as principal at
Battle Creek Middle School.
“At Battle Creek we had a
similar experience as Murray last
year,” she said. “We had a lot of
changes, too. We all weathered that
storm.”
While she is aware of the
negative impression the community
had of Murray last year, she is hopeful
about the continued improvements
in the future.
“I know what the narrative is
out there; there are lots of rumors,”
she said. “I hope people look at the
data and see that it didn’t take long
to turn things around significantly.”
“Stacy was confident that we
can all work together,” Sayles-Adams
said. “She really heard the parents,
she was very transparent, and she
focused on all the kids.” SaylesAdams believes that Murray now has
a strong administrative team that is
working together with the
community to create an even
stronger school.
“We are a public institution;
there are going to be challenges,”
Sayles-Adams said. “I don’t know if
you can really show it with data—
although we have the data to support
this—but the building just feels
different. It’s a totally different school;
we are figuring it out.”
Several teachers who left Murray
and other SPPS schools last year were
not willing to go on record to talk
about their experiences last year,
B U G L E
n
citing fear of retribution, even for
those who left the district. Of the 14
Murray teachers who left, five were
part of budget cuts, according to
Sayles-Adams, and two retired.
But many who stayed say they
are glad they did. Erin Dooley, a
seventh-grade science teacher,
returned to Murray in February
2014, after serving as a support coach
in the district.
“I was really happy to come
back,” she said. “Both my kids went
to Murray.” While she admits space
was an issue last year, she does not see
much of a difference in the way her
students are behaving this year. “We
had to be creative with space last year,
but personally it does not feel that
different this year. My students seem
to be doing very well at Murray,” she
said.
At the end of last year, many
Murray families were frustrated and
disgruntled. Last May, the district
held a meeting with stakeholders,
including several disheartened
families, to discuss Murray’s woes and
possible solutions. According to
Theien-Collins, the meeting was a
turning point for Murray
administration.
Bill Mills, a Murray parent and
a member of a parent task force that
was asked to work on behalf of
Murray families, was at that meeting.
Mills said the meeting got off to a
negative start.
“It started with angry parents
with pitchforks and burning
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M A Y
2 0 1 5
torches,” he explained. “It took hard
work on the part of everyone to turn
the energy into something
productive.”
“Families were up in arms,” he
said. “Last year the teachers were just
trying to keep their heads above
water, which does not make for a
productive learning environment for
our kids.”
Over the next few months, the
task force started gathering data on
the problems at Murray in an effort
to target assistance to the right
students. “Murray staff looked at data
about which kids were struggling
most, at what time of the day, days of
the week, etc.,” he said.
The environment has improved,
Mill said, but he is still frustrated
with
the
district’s
upper
administration’s decisions and with
what appears to be lack of action on
the part of the school board. “The
school board works for us; they are
supposed to be our voice,” he said.
“At this point it seems they are busy
defending past poor choices.”
But he acknowledged that
everyone seems to have the students’
best interest at heart. “I feel that these
are all passionate people who care
about the kids, about doing the right
things for the kids, and that goes a
long way with me,” he said. “But I
come from a business world where
you are held accountable for poor
execution. Were the teachers and
local administrators given the
resources they needed to succeed?”
Sara Veblen-Mortenson is one
parent who was happy at Murray last
year and still is. She has one daughter
at Murray and another at Laura
Jeffrey Academy. “It was just a matter
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of fit,” she explained. “My Murray
student is enjoying it so far and has
not seen too many of the problems
we have heard about.”
“Last year we were just trying to
keep the wheels on. It’s all relative,”
Mills said. “My son used to report
fights, the police being called in, this
was normal to him last year. This
year, it’s completely different. This
year, it’s good, and now the
conversation can turn to how to
make it great.”
Louis Seeba relates as both a
parent and as an SPPS school board
member. “At the board we are often
the recipients of complaints, but I
have to say that this year we have
barely gotten any,” she said earlier
this winter.
“If you flash back a year ago,
parents were worried about sending
their kids there. My message last year
was ‘give us a chance.’ I see what’s
planned and I know what we are
moving toward.”
Seeba is grateful for the faith
that parents have shown in Murray.
“I haven’t heard of anyone who
stayed that has regretted that choice.”
When asked why so many
changes were implemented at once,
Seeba was candid. “I have to say that
I didn’t agree with all of the changes
at once,” she said. “The changes
definitely impacted the middle
schools the most.
“My seventh-grader is reporting
that it is better this year, but honestly
she didn’t complain much last year.
She has a pretty high threshold of
chaos,” Seeba joked.
“Murray administration and
staff are miracle workers to be where
we are now at Murray. I am a parent
and I want to do what’s best for my
kids, but I really want to do what’s
best for everyone, and I believe in
public education. We’ve got this, and
it’s getting better.”
Consensus is clear: It was a mess
last year, but it does seem to be
getting better. Perhaps Seeba put it
best: “Things are improving at
Murray,” she said. “Whether that is
thanks to leadership at the district or
in spite of it is up for debate, but
things are improving nonetheless.”
HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS
St. Anthony Park Dental Care, 2278 Como Avenue
Todd Grossmann, DDS 651-644-3685
tag2278@comcast.net
tagdds.com
Paul Kirkegaard, DDS 651-644-9216
www.pkdds.com
Eyedeals EyeCare, P.A.
David Daly, OD
Complete Eye Care for Adults and Children
2309 Como Avenue, 651-644-5102
www.eyedeals.com
Franklin J. Steen, DDS
Thorough and gentle cleanings with enhanced home care
strategies. Plus expertise in enamel-saving procedures
2301 Como, 651-644-2757
Skon Chiropractic Clinic
Gentle chiropractic care and DOT physicals.
856 Raymond Ave, call 651-644-3900
www.skonchiro.com
To add your business to this listing, contact
Bradley Wolfe at 952-393-6814 or bradley.wolfe@parkbugle.org.
M A Y
2 0 1 5
n
P A R K
B U G L E
7
4 In The Park
2203 Scudder Street - $899,900
Magnificent Home! 4 Bedrooms-6 Baths-2 Sunrooms
Attached 3 Car Garage - Large Patio
Passengers preparing to depart for a tour of the fairgrounds waterway, circa 1910. Photo courtesy of
Minnesota Historical Society.
2217 Scudder Street - $365,000
World’s Fair in Minnesota?
That is so yesterday
By Roger Bergerson
The news that civic leaders are
mounting an effort to bring a World’s
Fair to Minnesota in 2023 calls to
mind similar aspirations of a century
ago.
In the early 20th century, the
area around today’s intersection of
Como and Raymond avenues in St.
Paul consisted of woods, water and
pasture, the latter used by the dairy
herds from the nearby St. Paul
campus of the University of
Minnesota.
Between 1908 and 1909, the
State Fair acquired 90 acres of this
land, installed a new entrance gate at
Como (then Langford Avenue) and
Raymond and began dredging what
was envisioned as a series of channels
and lagoons stretching all the way to
the new grandstand.
With
gasoline-powered
gondolas plying the waters, it was to
be an attraction to rival the canals of
Venice, the centerpiece of officials’
hopes of hosting a World’s Fair.
Unfortunately, it proved
impossible to maintain the levels in
the water features and within a few
years they were filled in to create the
Midway entertainment area.
But the dream didn’t die and
business leaders were probably
encouraged by the success of San
Francisco’s widely acclaimed Panama
Pacific International Exposition in
1915, a fair celebrating the opening
of the Panama Canal.
In 1919, several officials with
the St. Paul Association, the
predecessor of the Chamber of
Commerce, announced that they
hoped the fairgrounds would be the
site of a World’s Fair in 1925.
St. Paul would not try to finance
the project on its own, they
cautioned, but would seek federal
and state funds as well.
However, many businessmen
who belonged to the association
expressed serious reservations,
pointing out that Chicago, Ill., St.
Louis, Mo., and Buffalo, N.Y., which
had financed earlier fairs, were still
trying to pay off the losses incurred.
There is no indication that those
plans went any further, but, as it has
been observed, history has a way of
repeating itself.
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Roger Bergerson writes about history and
community news regularly in the Park
Bugle.
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Gary: 651-639-6304 garysparr@edinarealty.com
Peter: 651-639-6368 petersparr@edinarealty.com
Lindsey: 651-639-6432 lindseyesnaola@edinarealty.com
8
•
•
•
•
•
•
P A R K
B U G L E
Interior & Exterior Painting
Wallpapering & Paper Stripping
Wood Stripping & Refinishing
Plaster/Sheetrock Repair
Ceiling Texturing/Repair
Wood Floor Sanding & Refinishing
n
M A Y
2 0 1 5
Business news
651-699-6140 or WWW.PAINTINGBYJERRYWIND.COM
Pierce Richards
law office
LIZ PIERCE ATTORNEY AT LAW
Divorce / custody / mediation
Dissolution of partnerships
Wills & Probate / Real Estate
pierce@prlawoffice.net www.lizpierce.com
IN MILTON SQUARE / 2230 CARTER AVE. / SAINT PAUL / 651-645-1055
Dina Kountoupes sees yards as potential “food forests.” Photos courtesy of Dina Kountoupes
She aims to build community,
one edible landscape at a time
By Kristal Leebrick
Do you dream of having your own
vegetable garden right outside your
door but have no time to bring that
dream to reality?
Dina Kountoupes can help.
A signature piece to
Kountoupes’s business, Harvest
Moon Edible Landscapes, is its FullService Kitchen Garden package,
which includes planning the garden,
all the materials you need, weekly
maintenance and the harvest from
the garden delivered to your door
each week.
If you just need a little
something to get you started, Harvest
Moon has garden kits that include
the compost and soil, mulch, plants,
seeds, installation labor and an hour
of coaching time “and boom: instant
garden,” Kountoupes said.
Kountoupes also consults with
would-be gardeners to help them
turn their yards into edible
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landscapes. The impetus for her fouryear-old business is her deep-seated
desire to help people connect more
with their land by taking advantage
of nature’s systems and growing food.
She thinks of herself as a “garden
educator,” and that’s pretty much
how she began in the business.
Kountoupes came to the Twin
Cities from Oberlin, Ohio, in 1989
to attend Macalester College, where
she took courses in environmental
studies and Spanish. After college she
lived in Costa Rica for a while,
working on organic farms and
researching sustainable agriculture.
She also met Marty Ruddy, a
fellow Macalester grad who was in
Costa Rica serving in the Peace
Corps. Ruddy and Kountoupes
moved back to Minnesota, married
and now live in St. Anthony Park,
where Ruddy grew up.
After returning to Minnesota,
Kountoupes worked as program
director for Farm in the City near
Dunning Field in the Midway area.
Farm in the City is a children’s
horticulture and environmental art
education program that began in the
1990s.
“It was so great,” she said. “We
were basically not only doing
community gardening with kids, but
also doing cooking as part of the
program and art. It was giving [the
kids] such a sense of place. They were
all from the neighborhood over by
Dunning Field.
“To me, it was absolutely a lifeachieving, gratifying thing to see
these kids connect with the earth,
and so from then on, I was kind of
sold on that.”
She went back to school at the
University of Minnesota, where she
received an interdisciplinary degree
in environmental education and
sustainable agriculture with a focus
on gardening with children.
She worked in an Extension
program on schoolyard ecology
M A Y
explorations and wrote curriculum
on how to get kids outside in the
garden “and what to do with them
out there,” she said. But then, “I got
sick of writing in front of a computer
and wanted to get back in the garden
again.”
Kountoupes began working
with the Permaculture Research
Institute (PRI) in Minneapolis,
helping low-income residents grow
food in their own yards.
“PRI gardeners would descend
on a yard, build a 10-by-10 garden,
maintain it, take care of it, show
people how to do it and harvest it,”
she said.
Eventually she and a co-worker,
Krista Leraas, decided to create a
business, Harvest Moon Backyard
Gardening, doing similar work.
“We knew there was a demand
and it was an amazing thing that we
were doing,” she said. The business
was created in January 2011, the
same month Kountoupes gave birth
to her second child, Georgia, whose
name comes from the Greek word
for “someone who works in the
earth.”
The business name changed to
Harvest Moon Edible Landscapes
this year, and Kountoupes is now the
sole proprietor.
Harvest Moon uses the concept
of permaculture, a term coined by
two Australian men in the late 1970s,
Kountoupes said. “It means
‘permanent agriculture,’” she
explained. “It’s about gardening
mimicking nature’s systems.”
“Nature already has these
ecological systems going. Trees go up
and shade plants grow underneath
the trees. Leaves fall and form mulch.
Why are we taking everything out—
including all systems—and planting
and replacing with fertilizer and
chemicals rather than letting it do its
own work?”
Permaculture “keeps pollinators
in the system, keeps worms in the
system, keeps mulch in the system,
keeps shade in the system,” she said.
“Nature already invented all the
systems for us, so you either tap into
it or copy it. It’s way more
economical and sustains itself and is
more permanent that way.”
For example, Kountoupes
counsels clients with shady backyards
to plant under trees food that
naturally grows “understory,” like
fruit—particularly currants and
elderberry—and herbs. Or plant the
2 0 1 5
n
P A R K
B U G L E
9
SERVING BREAKFAST AND LUNCH Monday-Sunday 7am-3pm
2315 Como Ave. St. Paul 651-797-4027 www.colossalcafe.com
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Orange marigolds and yellow calendula serve as pollinator attractors,
pest deterers and colorful contrast to the dark green leaves of the kale.
They also fill in space under the kale, which serves as a living mulch,
shading out weeds and keeping the soil protected cool, and moist.
herbs right up next to the house
because they can tolerate some shade
and will be easily accessible from the
kitchen.
That’s another aspect to
permaculture, she said. “Don’t put
your garden way over there. Put it by
the house so you are more liable to
go out and use it. It’s less work to get
that food integrated into your life.”
Folks with an abundance of
shade can grow the sun-loving plants
like tomatoes and peppers in
containers that can be moved into
the sun. Or try growing items that
need specific soil conditions—think
blueberries—in large containers.
They get the soil they need and are
out of reach of rabbits.
Harvest Moon has partnered
with Minneapolis synagogue Shir
Tikvah and Seward Montessori
School to create community gardens.
At Seward, the garden was planted by
students in the spring, and during the
summer the harvests went to a local
food shelf. Kountoupes would love
to see St. Anthony Park Elementary
School tap into land around the
school to plant a “food forest,” where
students can learn about horticulture
and community.
Part of growing food is
connecting to your community by
sharing the harvest, she said. “You
can’t help building community by
working the land and growing your
food.”
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Business Briefs
Como Dockside grand opening
After months of planning and hard
work, Como Dockside is just about
ready for its close-up.
Throughout May, the newly
remodeled restaurant will be open
with limited hours due to outdoor
construction. St. Paul Parks and
Recreation will be busy building
additional outdoor seating and
improving the patio and paths, all
work that has to wait until May due
to weather limitations.
The much-anticipated lakeside
service window should be open by
Memorial Day weekend, according
to co-owner Jon Oulman.
Inside the gleaming new space,
food service will gradually ramp up
in May as new staff gets trained in
and more hours, such as breakfast
service, are added.
“We want to make sure we
move slowly into this so we are
confident in our ability to deliver,”
Oulman said.
A grand opening is planned for
Sunday, May 31. Details and hours
will be added to Como Dockside’s
website, www.comodockside.com, as
they become finalized.—Alex Lodner
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10
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B U G L E
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A public gathering at Roseville City
Hall, 2660 Civic Center Drive,
Thursday, April 23, will start a
summer-long project aimed at
helping people in the area build new
skills and confidence so they can
better assist people with Alzheimer’s
disease.
Called Roseville ACT on
Alzheimer’s, the volunteer-led project
seeks to deepen knowledge about
Alzheimer’s and dementia among
families, neighbors and businesses, to
reduce the stigma often associated
with dementia and increase services
for area families dealing with those
conditions.
The kick-off event will be 1-3
p.m. in the City Council chambers.
Organizers will introduce a series of
programs that will start the following
week. In addition, those at the event
will see videotaped interviews with
local people discussing the impact
dementia has had on their families.
ACT activities this year will
focus on eight presentations by
experts April 28-May 21 and again
in the fall, a series of four movies
about people coping with dementia,
• Discover the possibilities and opportunities for
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• Remodeling
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Lic #4890
www.nillesbuilders.com
M A Y
2 0 1 5
April 23 gathering will launch
Roseville alzheimer’s project
CATHERINE E. HOLTZCLAW
• Additions
• Roofing
• Concrete
n
525 Ohio Street
and opportunities for volunteers to
help expand programs serving area
families dealing with dementia.
The project is the most
ambitious one undertaken by the
Roseville Alzheimer’s and Dementia
Community Action Team (Roseville
A/D), a collaboration of several
dozen community members, city
and school officials, business leaders
and service providers. Roseville A/D
was organized in 2013 to help the
city prepare for increasing numbers
of residents with dementia diseases.
While the ACT project is
focused on Roseville, “the same
information and resources are
relevant to people wherever they
live,” said Sara Barsel, a co-founder
of Roseville A/D. “Our programs are
free and open to everyone. We
encourage anyone interested or
concerned about dementia to
attend.”
Part of statewide effort
Roseville ACT is one of 34 projects
statewide intended to help create
more
dementia-friendly
communities. That concept focuses
on building awareness, education
and skills so that those with dementia
Your friendly neighborhood salon
convenient . cozy . experienced
for an appointment call
651-645-2666
Salon in the Park
2311 Como Ave., St. Anthony Park
Community
Worship Directory
v PEACE LUTHERAN CHURCH—ELCA
1744 Walnut St. (at Ione), Lauderdale, 651-644-5440
www.peacelauderdale.com
Sunday worship: 10 a.m.
Reconciling in Christ Congregation
All are welcome. Come as you are.
v SPIRIT UNITED CHURCH
3204 Como Ave. S.E., Minneapolis, 612-378-3602, www.spiritunited.com
Sundays: 10:30 a.m. Message and Music. Kids With Spirit Sunday School.
Come as you are. Handicapped accessible. All are welcome.
A leading-edge spiritual community emphasizing the Unity of Spirit—one Source in all.
v ST. CECILIA’S CATHOLIC CHURCH
2357 Bayless Place. 651-644-4502
Website: www.stceciliaspm.org
Handicapped accessible
Saturday Mass: 5 p.m. at the church
Sunday Masses: 8:15 a.m. and 10 a.m. at the church
v ST. ANTHONY PARK UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST
2129 Commonwealth Ave. (corner of Commonwealth and Chelmsford)
651-646-7173 www.sapucc.org
9:15 a.m. Christian education for all ages; 10:30 a.m. worship
Pastor: Victoria Wilgocki
God Is Still Speaking
v CATALYST COVENANT CHURCH
1490 Fulham Street, www.catalystcovenant.org
We are a brand new church in the area and we are striving to be a contagious
community, focused on pursuing, proclaiming and demonstrating Christ and his
love for the world. You are more then welcome to join us on Sundays at 10 a.m.
v ST. ANTHONY PARK UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
A Reconciling Congregation. All are welcome!
www.sapumc.org, 2200 Hillside Ave. (at Como), 651-646-4859
Pastor: Rev. Dr. J. Samuel Subramanian.
Sundays: 10 a.m. Worship celebration and Sunday School
11 a.m. Fellowship and refreshments
6:30 p.m. Free young adult dinner in parlor
Mondays: 7 p.m. Community Bible study in parlor
v ST. ANTHONY PARK LUTHERAN CHURCH
2323 Como Avenue W. 651-645-0371
Staffed nursery available - Handicap-accessible
Pastor Glenn Berg-Moberg and Pastor Jill Rode
Web, Facebook, & Twitter: SAPLC
Sunday Worship: 8:30 & 11 a.m. with education hour for all 9:30 a.m.
Wednesday Community Dinner: 5-6:30 p.m. (free will offering)
(served until May 13)
Summer Worship Schedule begins, Sunday, May 24
one worship only 10:00 a.m.
v ST. MATTHEW’S EPISCOPAL CHURCH
The Rev. Blair A. Pogue, Rector
2136 Carter at Chelmsford, www.stmatthewsmn.org
Sunday 9:15 a.m. Education for all ages
10:30 a.m. Worship with communion and sermon
Nursery care provided 9 -11:20 a.m.
5:30 p.m. Evening worship with communion, Dinner at 6:30 p.m.
Undercroft Gallery: Children’s Art Show, Opening reception May 3
To add your church to the directory, contact Bradley Wolfe at 952-393-6814 or bradley.wolfe@parkbugle.org
can continue to live as independently
as possible as part of the community,
helped by families, friends, neighbors
and businesses.
The project received a national
award in March from the Family
Caregiver Alliance.
“We need to learn how to face
our discomfort and talk with each
other about dementia,” said Deb
Nygaard, a volunteer with the project
and director of development at
Arthur’s Residential Care in
Roseville. “With ACT, we want to
help people realize that there are ways
each of us can help people with
Alzheimer’s and their families.”
Talks by local experts
A series of eight presentations by local
experts will begin April 28 for four
weeks.
On Tuesdays, April 28-May 19,
6:30-7:30 p.m., presentations will
focus on dementia and the healthy
brain at the Fairview Community
Center, 1910 W. County Road B.
On Thursdays, April 30-May
21, 1-2:30 p.m., speakers will discuss
caregiving issues and techniques at
Roseville City Hall.
Expanding services
In addition to the educational
programs, Roseville ACT is seeking
volunteers to help expand two
services for area people with
dementia and their families. Both
will train volunteers before they start.
The Gathering, coordinated by
Lyngblomsten, needs volunteers to
help in its day program at Centennial
United Methodist Church in
Roseville. It provides activities and
social stimulation for people with
early to mid-stages of memory loss
and offers a caregiver-support group.
There are 20 clients on its waiting
list.
P.S. I Understand is a peersupport program of Wilder Caregiver
Services that matches current
caregivers of people with dementia
and former caregivers who have been
away from caregiving for two years.
Other Roseville A/D projects
Before starting the project, Roseville
A/D helped launch a series of smaller
projects aimed at helping people in
the area learn more about Alzheimer’s
and dementia that included public
presentations and dementiascreening clinics.
It also worked with the city to
create a dementia-information
section on the City of Roseville
website—believed one of the few in
the nation.
The work of the Roseville
volunteers will not end with the
ACT project, according to cofounder Barsel, who is active in many
community efforts, including a study
about whether or not a Roseville
block-nurse program for older and
disabled people should be
reestablished.
For more information about the
Roseville ACT on Alzheimer’s
project, go to the Alzheimer’s and
Dementia Information page at
www.ci.roseville.mn.us/2721/Alzhei
mers-Dementia.
M A Y
The Birdman
of Lauderdale
2 0 1 5
n
P A R K
ting
Celebra rs
a
e
y
10
ess!
in busin
by Clay Christensen
Spring brings the brief return
of the yellow-rumped warbler
I’m hoping this column hits the
streets at about the same time as its
subject, the yellow-rumped warbler.
Warblers in general are quite small, 4
to 6 inches in length, colorful and
melodious. They’re the birds that
most northern bird watchers long to
see each spring.
As warblers migrate through,
one of their favorite foods is
caterpillars. So when I see inchworms
hanging down from my neighbor’s
oak tree, I tune my senses to look and
listen for warblers.
There are nearly 30 species of
warblers on the Minnesota
Ornithologists’ Union’s checklist.
Several of the species nest here in the
metro area, but most breed in
northern Minnesota and on up into
Canada. We see them in passing, on
their spring and fall migrations.
Identifying warblers in the
spring requires gathering and
assimilating several views, trying to
get a good look at the head, wing,
body and tail, then putting it all
together into a composite, a memory
you can take to the field guide in an
attempt to put a name to the flitty
critter. The birds are busy gleaning
food, checking spider webs, leaf
clusters, grooves in the bark, so you’ve
got to follow them on their forays
and try to get a look at as many
different parts as you can.
The male yellow-rumped
warbler is predominantly blue-gray
with a yellow patch on the top of his
head, on his shoulders and, of course,
on his rump, which is especially
visible in flight. It’s that yellow rump
that has given the bird its nickname
“Butter Butt.” Besides the yellow
parts, it has a black mask, white
throat and a dark black patch on its
chest shaped like an inverted U.
The female yellow-rumped is
more brownish with duller yellow
patches.
I’m focusing on the yellowrumped warbler because it’s one of
the earliest spring migrants to these
parts and usually among the most
abundant. It’s a gregarious bird and
often migrates and forages in flocks.
The birds keep in touch with each
other with a contact call: “check.”
Listen for that in early spring. Its song
is a weak, indistinct warble or trill
that often just fades out.
Like many other warblers,
yellow-rumped warblers do some flycatching, darting out to snatch an
insect. They even chase insects over
water, often right near the shoreline.
But when it’s too cool for bugs
to be flying, yellow-rumped warblers
have an adaptation that allows them
to turn to a different food source.
Look for these early migrants feeding
in the street or on the sidewalk—not
on inchworms but on the scales of
tree buds that have been knocked
down after a storm. That gives us a
chance to take a good look at this
attractive warbler.
Yellow-rumped warblers have
the ability to feed on vegetative
matter. It’s unusual for an insectivore
to be able to digest plant material.
The yellow-rumped warbler’s
digestive tract does a retrograde reflux
that moves its food from the
intestines back up into the gizzard for
further processing, and can do so
several times if necessary.
And there’s a higher
concentration of bile in the
gallbladder and intestine and a slower
gastrointestinal process that enables
the bird to get nutrition out of the
waxy lipids contained in such berries
as those of the bayberry, juniper,
poison ivy and wax myrtle.
In fact, before its name was
changed, the yellow-rumped warbler
was known as the myrtle warbler.
B U G L E
Perhaps it’s this ability to eat
berries and seeds that allows it to be
such an early migrant, even before
any flying insects or inchworms have
come out. But it also migrates early
because it has a long way to go.
The yellow-rumped warbler
breeds all across Canada and the
extreme northern United States from
Minnesota east to the Atlantic coast.
It’s the most abundant wood warbler
in Canada.
There are several places to look
for warblers in Ramsey County. My
buddy Val and I led a walk around
Lake Como early one May morning
and found a tree that had so many
different warblers, it became a
tutorial
for
spring-warbler
identification.
Another good place to hit in the
spring is the Woodview Open Space
at Larpenteur Avenue and Mackubin
Street, especially in the dog-park area
near the lake. (Remember, dogs have
priority in this area; observe from
outside the fence if pups are playing.)
The yellow-rumped is one of
the last warblers to leave in the fall. It
heads to southern climes, even as far
south as Panama. Once again, in the
fall, it can survive on waxy berries
after the frost has killed off all the
flying and crawling insects. What a
nice adaptation, this retrograde
reflux.
Maybe you’ll get a chance to
identify one of these Butter Butts this
spring.
Clay Christensen lives and writes in
Lauderdale.
Woody biomass harvesting topic of May Audubon meeting
Dr. Michael Rentz will present “No Free Lunch: Ecological Impacts of
Woody Biomass Harvesting” at the next St. Paul Audubon Society
meeting Thursday, May 14, at 7 p.m. The talk will be held at Fairview
Community Center, 1910 W. County Road B, Roseville. The event is
free and open to the public. A social time begins at 6:45 p.m.
Rentz will present the findings of his Ph.D. research on the impacts
of woody biomass harvest on small mammals and forest plants.
Rentz is a life-long Minnesotan who recently moved south of the
Minnesota border to take a faculty position at Iowa State University.
11
12
P A R K
B U G L E
L I V E S
n
M A Y
2 0 1 5
L I V E D
The Park Bugle prints obituaries free of charge as a service to our communities.
Send information about area deaths to Mary Mergenthal at mary.mergenthal@gmail.com or call 651-644-1650.
Laverne Carney
her husband, Arthur.
Mass of Christian Burial was
Laverne C. Carney, 88, Como Park,
celebrated
March 19 at Holy
died March 27.
Childhood,
with interment at Fort
She was preceded in death by
Snelling
National
Cemetery.
her husband, Frank “Nub” in 2003
and brother, Gordon Kapaun. She is Geraldine Kohnen
survived by sons, Michael (Ginger)
and David (Arlene); four Geraldine Mae Kohnen, 90, Como
grandchildren;
many
great- Park, died March 2.
She was preceded in death by
grandchildren; and sister-in-law,
her
husband,
John H.; son Jeff; and
Chloe Ann Kapaun.
two
great-grandchildren.
She is
Mass of Christian Burial was
survived
by
her
children,
John
celebrated April 9 at Holy Childhood
(Patricia),
Barbara
(William)
Johnson
in Como Park, with interment at
and Dennis (Audrey) Bennett; six
Roselawn Cemetery.
grandchildren; 11 great-grandchildren; three great-great-grandDorothy Green
Dorothy A. “Dottie” Green, 80, children; and sister, Donna
Hoffmeister.
Como Park, died April 7.
Mass of Christian Burial was
She is survived by her husband
celebrated
March 7 at Holy
of 55 years, Lee; seven children,
Childhood,
with
interment Calvary
Kathy (Mike Rother), Ellen (Doug)
Cemetery.
Friberg, Chris, Jeff, Jenny (Pat)
Coyne, Karen and Aimee; 19
grandchildren; one great-grandson;
and sister, Marie Petrasic.
Mass of Christian Burial was
celebrated April 13 at Holy
Childhood.
Marion Hoff
Geraldine O’Donnell
Geraldine “Geri” O'Donnell, 90,
Como Park, died on March 7. She
was a lifelong member of Holy
Childhood. Interment was at
Calvary Cemetery.
Donna Poland
Marion Jean (nee Loney) Hoff, 92,
died on March 15 at St. Therese at Donna (Meiske) Poland, 81, of
Lauderdale, died on March 23.
St. Odilia.
Born in Bowling Green, Ohio,
She was preceded in death by
Donna spent most of her adult life in
St. Paul, raising her family and
working. She earned her bachelor’s
degree from Bowling Green State
University and master’s in food
science from Michigan State.
She worked at the Hospitality
Institute of Technology and
Management for 25 years until her
retirement two years ago.
Donna was married to Jay C.
Meiske from 1956 to 1987. She is
survived by her children, Susan
Meiske, Sally Meiske Pinkston,
Thomas Meiske and Mary Birrell
(John), and four grandchildren.
A memorial service was held
April 18 at St. Michael’s Lutheran
Church in Roseville.
Francene Reiter
Francene Ann Reiter, 51, died March
12. She was a compassionate nurse
and teacher.
She was preceded in death by
her father, Carl Falkowski. She is
survived by her mother, Betty Jean;
husband, John; daughter, Cassie;
sons, Ricky (Katie Little) and Matt
Kubitschek; one granddaughter; and
siblings, Pamela Falkowski, Carl
Falkowski Jr., Carlene Wells, Rita
Falkowski (Mattie), Paul Falkowski
and Bonnie Jo Rocchio (John).
Her funeral service was held at Shortly after he retired, he sold
Como Park Lutheran Church on Adirondack chairs and other lawn
furniture under the name Yard
March 16.
Goods, which operated for many
Herbert Schmitz
years at the St. Anthony Park Arts
Herbert J. Schmitz, 86, Como Park, Festival.
He will be missed by his wife of
died March 21.
64
years,
Lucille; son, John (Reade);
He is survived by his wife of 52
daughter,
Ann (Nick); grandson,
years, Florence; children, Paul (Lucy),
Erik
(Julie);
and great-grandchildren,
Stephen, Douglas (Jennifer), Richard
Elin
and
Ethan
Vincent.
(Kathrine) and Suzanne Schmitz;
Private
interment
will be at Fort
nine grandchildren; two greatSnelling
Cemetery.
A
celebration
of
grandchildren; a sister; and six
life
will
be
held
at
Gardens
of
brothers.
Mass of Christian Burial was Salonica Restaurant, Minneapolis,
celebrated March 26 at Holy Saturday, May 30, 1–4 p.m.
Childhood, with interment at Fort
William Stoessel
Snelling National Cemetery.
William J. Stoessel, 68, of Falcon
Vince Schroder
Heights, died unexpectedly April 9.
He was preceded in death by his
Albert V. “Vince” Schroder, died
March 16 at age 87. He was born parents, Robert Sr. and Harriett; and
sister, Nancy Wald. He is survived by
March 5, 1928.
Vince enlisted at age 17 and his wife, Melissa; children, Brian
(Meredith),
Kristi
served in the Navy toward the end of Stoessel
World War II. After his service, he Angelopoulou (Theodore), Andrew
attended Luther College in Decorah, Bossert (Maria) and Michael Bossert;
Iowa, graduating in 1952. While at six grandchildren; brother, Robert
Luther, he met and married Lucille Stoessel Jr.; and sister, Elizabeth
Rustad. They moved to St. Anthony Steeber.
His memorial service was held
Park in 1956.
Vince was one of the first April 13 at St. Anthony Park
employees of Control Data Corp. Lutheran Church, with inurnment at
(retired 1988) and Cray Research. Roselawn Cemetery.
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Free children’s art workshop
Courtney Oleen, art teacher at St.
Anthony Park Elementary School,
will give a free two-hour art
workshop for children ages 4-18
Saturday, April 25, 10 a.m.-noon, at
St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church
2136 Carter Ave.
The workshop is being offered
along with the “Creations from
Wonderland” Community Art Show
for children and youth, which will
open Sunday, May 3, with a public
reception at 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Call Peg Houck to register for
the workshop, 651-645-4453.
Earth’s largest lakes topic of Moos
Family Speaker Series lecture
Dr. Robert Sterner will explore the
hydrology, geopolitics, biodiversity
and biogeochemistry of the world’s
largest lakes Thursday, April 30, at 7
p.m. at the U of M St. Paul Campus
Student Center Theater.
The free lecture is part of the
Moos Family Speaker Series, cosponsored by the Freshwater Society
and College of Biological Sciences.
Celebrate National Train Day
Join the Twin City Model Railroad
Museum in celebrating National
Train Day Saturday, May 9, with two
events: a Spring Hobby Show at the
Minnesota State Fairgrounds
Education Building (9 a.m.-3 p.m.)
and activities at the museum, 1021
Bandana Square.
Festivities at the museum will
include free roundtrip rides on
historic buses between the museum,
Jackson Street Roundhouse, Union
Riesgraf is the former vineyard
Depot and James J. Hill House. The manager in the University of
museum will be open 10 a.m.-5pm. Minnesota Grape Breeding Program.
There is an admission for each event.
Find out more at tcmrm.org
Langford offers summer fun
Langford Recreation Center will
YMCA camps Spring Garage Sale offer Summer Blast, a free afternoon
YMCA Camps Widjiwagan and du program for youth who have
Nord Spring Garage Sale will be held completed grades K-5, June 15-Aug.
Wednesday-Saturday, May 13-16, at 20. Hours will be 1-4 p.m. The
the Merchandise Mart on the program will include crafts, art,
Minnesota State Fairgrounds.
tennis, cooking, swimming, gym
Admission is free. The sale will games, water fun and more.
be open Wednesday to Friday, 9
Students can also sign up for
a.m.-7:30 p.m. The Saturday Bag Urban Tennis, held at many of the
Sale opens at 8 a.m. and runs to 2 city’s parks, by calling 651-222-2879,
p.m. For more information, call 651- or going to www.urbantennis.org.
645-6605.
Summer classes at Langford
include activities for preschoolers up
Plant the library gardens!
to teens.
The St. Anthony Park Garden Club
You can see a full listing of
invites you to the annual planting of classes
and
register
at
the flower boxes and gardens at St. www.stpaul.gov/parks, or call 651Anthony Park Library, 2245 Como 298-5765 for more information.
Ave., on Saturday, May 30, 9-11 a.m.
Bring gloves, a trowel or shovel Summer at Northwest Como
and kneeling pad and one or more Summer Sports Registration at
divisions of astilbe, rodgersia, ligularia Northwest Como Recreation Center
or Japanese anemones from your was in March, but you can call or
gardens if you have them. Questions? come into the center, 1515 Hamline
Contact Mary at 651-644-7388 or Ave., to see if any spots are available
magui011@umn.edu.
for pre-T-ball (ages 3-4), T-ball (ages
5-6), nearball ages (7-8), machine
Growing grapes in Minnesota
pitch baseball (ages 7-8), baseball ages
Sue Riesgraf will present “Growing (9-12), softball slow pitch (ages 9-18)
Grapes in Minnesota” at the St. and lacrosse (ages 6-11).
Anthony Park Garden Club meeting
Summer classes and camp
at St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church registration is open. See the offerings
Fellowship Hall, 2136 Carter Ave., and register at www.stpaul.gov/parks,
on Tuesday, May 5, at 7:30 p.m. call 651-298-5813 or come into the
(social time begins at 7 p.m.). All are center Monday-Thursday, 3-8 p.m.,
welcome.
or Friday, 3-6 p.m.
M A Y
MAY
Venue information is listed at the end
of the calendar. Send your events to
calendar@parkbugle.org by
Wednesday, May 6, to be included in
the June issue.
2 SATURDAY
Adoption Fair, CHLSS, 9 a.m.-noon.
Register at chsfs.org.
3 SUNDAY
District 10 Sunday Series: Como
Woodland Outdoor Classroom,
1:30-3 p.m. Meet at the Joyce Kilmer
Memorial Fireplace (west of the Como
Pool), or Midway Picnic Pavilion in
case of rain. Call District 10 at 651644-3889 for more information.
5 TUESDAY
Baby/toddler story time every Tuesday,
St. Anthony Park Library, 10:30-11
a.m. and 11:30 a.m.-noon.
St. Anthony Park Garden Club
program, “Growing Grapes,” St.
Matthew’s Episcopal Church
Fellowship Hall, 7:30-8:30 p.m.
Business meeting, 6:30 p.m.; social
time, 7 p.m. Contact Sandee Kelsey,
kelse005@umn.edu or 651-6459053 with questions.
6 WEDNESDAY
English Conversation Circles, every
Wednesday, St. Anthony Park Library,
4-5:30 p.m.
St. Anthony Park Book Club, will
discuss “Orphan Train” by Christina
Baker, St. Anthony Park Library,
6:30-8 p.m.
7 THURSDAY
alien contact, Spirit United Church,
3204 S.E. Como Ave., 7 p.m.
14 THURSDAY
Preschool Mandarin Chinese story
time, St. Anthony Park Library,
10:30 a.m.
18 MONDAY
Community sing, Olson Campus
Center, Luther Seminary, 7 p.m.
Social time begins at 6:30 p.m.
Night by the Lake at Como Dockside,
Como Lakeside Pavilion, 6-11 p.m. A
benefit for Como Park Senior High
School’s boys soccer program. Music,
food and drinks. Buy tickets at
comosoccer.com.
11 MONDAY
Minnesota’s Waiting Children
information session, CHLSS, 6-8 p.m.
Learn about adopting children who
live in foster care.
Author Craig Lang will moderate a
panel of five area residents who claim
to have experienced extraterrestrial
Wednesdays, St. Anthony Park
United Methodist Church, 10:3011:30 a.m.
Como Park/Falcon Heights
Block Nurse Program:
Tuesdays and Thursdays, Falcon
Heights Town Square Senior
Apartments, 9:30-10:30 a.m. and
Arbor Pointe Senior Apartment, 11
a.m.-noon
FREE SENIOR BLOOD
PRESSURE CLINICS
Free showing of documentary on
UFOs, Spirit United Church, 3204
S.E. Como Ave., 7 p.m.
Wednesdays, St. Anthony Park
United Methodist Church, 11:30
a.m.-noon
21 THURSDAY
Como Park/Falcon Heights
Block Nurse Program:
Learn Chinese folk dancing, St.
Anthony Park Library, 10:30 a.m.12:30 p.m.
22 FRIDAY
Co-ed drum circle, Women’s Drum
Center, 6:30 p.m. Cost is $10 at the
door. Drums provided.
St. Anthony Park Area Seniors:
Third Thursdays, Arbor Pointe
Senior Apartments, 10-11 a.m.
VENUE INFORMATION
Arbor Pointe Senior Apartments,
635 W. Maryland Ave.
St. Anthony Park Library closed
through Monday, May 25, for
Memorial Day weekend.
CHLSS, Children’s Home & Lutheran
Social Service of Minnesota, 1605
Eustis St., 651- 255-2355,
26 TUESDAY
Falcon Heights City Hall, 2077 W.
Larpenteur Ave., 651-644-5050
Community Blood Drive, St. Anthony
Park Lutheran Church, 2-7 p.m.
Micawber’s Books, 2238 Carter
Ave., 651-646-5506
St. Anthony Park Elementary School,
2180 Knapp St., 651-293-8735
Plant the library gardens with St.
Anthony PArk Garden Club, St.
Anthony Park Library, 9-11 a.m.
St. Anthony Park Library, 2245
Como Ave., 651-642-0411
31 SUNDAY
St. Anthony Park Lutheran Church,
2323 Como Ave., 651-645-0371
Sunday Afternoon Book Club,
“Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of
Madness, Medicine and the Murder of
a President,” by Candice Millard,
Micawber’s Books, 2:30 p.m.
St. Anthony Park United Methodist
Church, 2200 Hillside Ave., 651603-8946
SENIOR EXERCISE
St. Anthony Park Area Seniors:
Tuesdays and Fridays, St. Anthony
St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church,
2136 Carter Ave., 651-645-3058
Women’s Drum Center, 2242 W.
University Ave.,
www.womensdrumcenter.org
Let your travel agent do the work!
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TT R AA VV EEL L
Students at the Twin Cities Aikido Center practice in the center’s new location
above Hampden Park Co-op, 2382 Hampden Ave. Here, Kathy AguilarDowning and Vickie Selep work with students in the space that had been a
ballroom dance school until recently.
The Aikido Center moved from its longtime location at 2390 University
Ave. in late March after the building was sold to Exeter Group, which owns
C&E Lofts, 2410 University Ave. Representatives from Exeter attended the
March District 12 Land Use Committee to present plans to build new
market-rate apartments where the Aikido Center, armored car company
Loomis and Gremlin Theatre had been housed, next to C&E Lofts.
The Aikido center opened for classes at the new location in early April.
Founded in 1976 by a group of University of Minnesota graduates, the
nonprofit organization opened on University Avenue in what had been a
truck showroom. TCAC has grown to be the largest Aikido group in the
region, offering at least two adult classes per day, seven days a week, as well as
two youth classes per week.
You can find out more at tcaikido.com.—Kristal Leebrick
Dr. Todd Grossmann, DDS
651-644-3685 tagdds.com
Dr. Paul Kirkegaard, DDS
651-644-9216 www.pkdds.com
Your neighbors in St. Anthony Park
Falcon Heights Town Square, 1530
W. Larpenteur Ave.
Lauderdale City Hall, 1891 Walnut
St., 651-631-0300
30 SATURDAY
Aikido Center settles into new digs above co-op
Fourth Thursdays, Falcon Heights
Town Square Senior Apartments, 11
a.m.-noon
23 SATURDAY
St. Anthony Park Elementary School
plant sale, 8 a.m.-4 p.m.
St. Anthony Park Elementary School
plant sale, 8 a.m.-4 p.m.
13
Park Library, 2:30-3:30 p.m.
Twin Cities Chef’s Table with food
writer Stephanie Meyer, St. Anthony
Park Library, 7-9 p.m.
Preschool Mandarin Chinese story
time, St. Anthony Park Library,
10:30 a.m.
Preschool (ages 3-5) story time, every
Friday, St. Anthony Park Library,
10:30-11:30 a.m.
B U G L E
Mondays and Thursdays,
Lauderdale City Hall, 2-3 p.m.
St. Anthony Park Senior Cinema
Series: “Into the Woods,” St. Anthony
Park Library, 2-4 p.m.
28 THURSDAY
8 FRIDAY
P A R K
Events
St. Anthony Park Library closed for
staff training.
Fidgety Fairy Tales, a family-friendly
theater production that reimagines
myths and legends to reduce
misunderstandings around mental
health disorders, CHLSS, 6:30 p.m.7:15 p.m.
n
2 0 1 5
26
years
in the neighborhood
2301 Como Ave., Suite 202 • St. Paul • 651-646-8855
2278 Como Avenue / St. Paul
14
P A R K
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School News
The Bugle welcomes news about
students and schools in the area. The
deadline for the June issue is
Wednesday, May 6. Send your news to
editor@parkbugle.org.
Avalon School
700 Glendale St., 651-649-5495
www.avalonschool.org
comedy “Little Red Riding Hood
and the Power Mutants” on
Thursday, April 30, and Friday, May
1, at 7 p.m. in the school auditorium.
The work is a playful twist on the
classic fairytale.
Music awards
The Como Park Advanced Band
received a Certificate of Excellence
from the Minnesota State High
School League at the March 24 Large
Group Competition at Tartan High
School.
Senior Rachel Tetlie was
awarded a Presidential Distinction
Scholarship and $20,000 annual
music scholarship at Concordia
College in Moorhead, Minn.
“Almost, Maine” at Avalon School
Local actor and director Charles
Fraser is directing Avalon School
students in “Almost, Maine,” which
will be performed Wednesday-Friday,
April 22-24, at 7 p.m. at the school.
Tickets are $6, but on Friday for $10
patrons can attend the play and have
dinner at 6 p.m. as part of the annual
Gender Sexuality Alliance Spaghetti
Athletic scholar
Dinner.
Senior Will Kidd was awarded the
Mike Warter Scholarship from the
Robotics team won regional
Team 2491 No Mythic brought Minnesota State High School Soccer
home a first-place trophy from the Coaches Association. The award is
North Star Regional competition received by just one male and one
female soccer player in the state each
April 4.
Avalon students on the team are year. Coaches select the winners from
Adam Thomas, Cian Fearn, a competitive pool of players who
Elizabeth Bender, Ethan Havens, have excelled on the field and in the
Evan Tang, Gus Maynor and Killian classroom. Kidd has signed a national
Lingel-Macias. The team also letter of intent to play and study at
includes students from Great River Bradley University in Peoria, Ill.
School, Twin Cities Academy and St.
Robotics team wins award
Louis Park High.
The Robotics team debuted their
Chelsea Heights Elementary
robot, the Recyclops, at the 10,000
Lakes Regional Contest on April 3 at
1557 Huron St., 651-293-8790
Williams Arena. The team received
www.chelsea.spps.org
the Chairman’s Award, the most
prestigious award given to teams.
Carnival is May 15
Chelsea Heights will host its annual
Spring Carnival on Friday, May 15, Fundraiser for boys soccer to be
5-8 p.m., rain or shine. There will be held at Como Dockside May 8
games (with prizes!), food trucks, The Como boys soccer program will
raffles and a lot of other fun activities. raise funds for its 2015 season with a
All proceeds will help support Friday, May 8, event at the soon-tostudent activities at the school. Bring be-open Como Dockside at the
friends, family and neighbors. Email Como Lakeside Pavilion. More
chelseacarnival@gmail.com for more information about “Night By the
Lake” is available at comosoccer.com.
information.
will be held Saturday, April 25, 6-10
p.m., and is open to the public. The
evening will include food, raffles,
Minnesota-style games, and silent
and live auctions. Call the school
office to reserve tickets, 651-4891459, or visit the MMSA website at
mmsaschool.org.
Tickets are $35 each, plus $5 for
a drink wristband (the early bird
price) or $10 at the door for the
wristband. Guests must be 21 years
or older. Tickets will be sold at the
door.
Donate and shop at flea market
MMSA is seeking donations of
gently used items for a flea market in
May. Items may be dropped off at the
school Monday, May 11, 10 a.m.-4
p.m.; Tuesday, May 12, noon-6 p.m.;
and Wednesday, May 13, 9-11 a.m.
and 4-7 p.m.
To drop off outside of these
hours, call 651-489-1459. The flea
market will be held Thursday and
Friday, May 14 and 15, 4-7 p.m.;
Saturday, May 16, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.; and
Sunday, May 17, 9 a.m.-1 p.m.
Murray Middle School
2200 Buford Ave., 651-293-8740
www.murray.spps.org
Encore!
Murray’s school play was a great
success. Erin Dooley, producer of
“Into the Woods, Jr.,” along with
Murray Middle School, thanks the
crew (under the guidance of Eileen
Slagle and Eric Karn), sound and
lighting crew (under the guidance of
Carrie Bittner), parents and
community volunteers who made
the play possible. And a special
thanks to the talented students who
put on three amazing performances.
Award; James Carlson, Lila Seeba
and Ella Vadnais, Wolfram Research
Mathematica Award; Eli Powell and
Celia Olson, Seagate Top 10%
Award; Valerie Bares, Minnesota
Academy of Science Eighth Grade
Paper Medal and Gold Award;
Henrie Friesen and Eli Powell, Silver
Award; and Celia Olson, Gold
Award.
Friday, May 8, in the Murray Middle
School auditorium.
The Running Club race will
happen Tuesday, May 12, at the
school. Thank you to Anderson
Races for professional timing and
race management.
The annual School Patrol Picnic
will be held Tuesday, May 19. Thank
you to the St. Anthony Park patrols
for your leadership.
DI winners
The Chilly Peppers, a team of five
Murray sixth graders, took second
place
at the Destination
ImagiNation state tournament in
April and will head to the Global
competition in Knoxville, Tenn., in
May. Team members are Hannah
Hausman, Bridget Lee, Audrey diGirolamo, Riley Eddins and Charlie
Wilson-Jackson.
DI winners
The fourth-grade Destination
ImagiNation team the 7 Fluffy
Slugburgerz took third place at the
state tournament and are advancing
to the Global competition in May.
Team members are Caitly Coyle,
Molly Clement, Maggie Fuller,
Gustavo Juarez-Sweeney, Levi
Nichols, Oliver Pletch, and Charles
Wriedt.
St. Anthony Park Elementary
Fourth-grade team the Red
Pandas took fourth place at the state
2180 Knapp St., 651-293-8735
tournament and will serve as an
www.stanthony.spps.org
alternate to Globals. Team members
are Hemetii Apet, Kendall Beard,
Spring carnival and plant sale
The annual Spring Carnival Graham Whitney, Violet Eicher and
fundraiser will be held Friday, May 1, Lydia Westerlund.
5:30-8 p.m. Organizers are seeking
gently used stuffed animals and small
toys for use as prize items. Clean out Twin Cities German Immersion
your overflowing toy and stuffed- 1031 Como Ave., 651-492-7106
animal collections and donate to the www.tcgis.org
carnival.
Questions?
Email
SAPschoolcarnival@gmail.com.
Anniversary celebration
The annual plant-sale fundraiser Twin Cities German Immersion
will be held on Thursday and Friday, School will celebrate its 10-year
May 7 and 8, 8 a.m.- 4 p.m. in front anniversary and host an open house
of the school. The sale will include at its new building on Saturday, May
annuals, perennials, hanging baskets, 16, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. The event will
and organic vegetables and herbs.
include fun activities, and food and
refreshments will be available for
A talent show, a race and more
purchase. This is free event is open to
The annual St. Anthony Park School the community.
Talent Show will begin at 6:30 p.m.
Food drive a success
The school’s National Junior Honor
Society’s food drive collected more
than 1,700 pounds of food for the
Maternity of Mary-St. Andrew local food shelf and its toy drive
Como Park Senior High
592 Arlington Ave., 651-489-1459 brought in a large donation to the
740 Rose Ave., 651-293-8800
crisis nursery. The Honor Society has
www.mmsaschool.org
www.comosr.spps.org
more than 30 students volunteering
for 20-plus hours each year in
Spring Fling
Spring play April 30-May 1
Como students will perform the MMSA’s Blue & Green Spring Fling, support of the school and larger
community. Students also made
cards of encouragement for families
using Meals on Wheels and took care
of the school’s courtyard.
Boys basketball wins!
The boys basketball team finished its
season with a winning 10-2 record.
State Science Fair
Eleven students competed in the
state science fair in March: Valerie
Bares, Celia Olson, Ella Vadnais,
Henrie Friesen, Eli Powell, Thomas
Heesch, Kathy Tang, Zoe Ward,
Amira Boler, Maasia Apet, James
Carlson and Lila Seeba.
The following students received
awards: Henrie Friesen, Office of
Naval Research Award; Maasia Apet,
Welsch’s Sweeping Northern Star
Award and Bronze Award; Valerie
Bares, Henrie Friesen, Celia Olson
and Eli Powell, Broadcam Masters
Students raise money for Hold Your Horses
Twin Cities German Immersion School fourth-graders presented
$615.22 to Janet Weisberg of Hold Your Horses in late March. The 14
students sold bracelets to earn the money to donate to the
Independence, Minn., nonprofit, which offers equine-assisted services
to people with disabilities. Anne Boehm (at top), school mentor
adviser, said the students chose Hold Your Horses because one of
the students, Hadley Ninow, has a sister who receives services at the
group’s facilities. Shown here are the students with Weisberg, Anne
Boehm and Jeff Horton, TGIS assistant executive director.
M A Y
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n
P A R K
Classifieds
Send your ad to classifieds@parkbugle.org or P.O.Box 8126, St. Paul, MN 55108, or call Fariba
Sanikhatam, 651-239-0321. Ads are $5 per line. Add a box or art for $10. Next deadline: May 8.
B U G L E
15
Exceptional
Senior Living
Just across from Como Park
Heated underground parking
Two elevators
Small pets welcome
651-489-3392
Child Care
PARK ANGELS CHILDCARE. Infant to 11
years old, near Como & Doswell. Call
Adella, 651-644-5516.
Home
Services
WATER DAMAGE REPAIR, plaster,
sheetrock and woodwork. Family business in the Park 70 years. Jim
Larson, 651-644-5188.
WE SATISFY ALL YOUR PAINTING NEEDS.
Water damage repair, staining,
sheetrock, spray texture, spray texture
removal, wallpaper and wallpaper removal. Family business in the Park 70
years. Jim Larson, 651-644-5188.
HANDYMAN IN ST. ANTHONY PARK. Quick
Response - Quality Work. Specializing
in work for Seniors. 651-208-5996 or
seniorhelptwincities.com.
RAIN GUTTERS CLEANED, REPAIRED, installed. Insured, license #BC126373.
651-699-8900. Burton’s Rain Gutter
Service, 1864 Grand Ave.
www.burtonsraingutter.com
QUALITY CLEANING AT REASONABLE rates,
serving area over 20 years. Rita & Molly,
612-414-9241.
PAINTING, WALLPAPER REMOVAL, furniture
refinishing, 30 years exp. Small jobs
wanted. Jim, 612-202-5514.
BRUSHSTROKES PAINTING Interior/exterior/wall repair/texturing/carpentry. I
strive to have a positive working relationship with my customers. Plus, I am
a genuinely nice person to work with.
References available from your neighborhood! Tom Marron, 651-230-1272.
20/20 HOUSE CLEANING Perfect house cleaning. W/over
25 yrs exp. in the area.
Family-owned & operated,
651-635-9228.
PRO TEAM PAINTING PLUS, INC. Interior &
exterior painting. Complete carpentry
services. 651-917-2881. BBB.
GREAT HOUSECLEANING IN SAP since
1993. Many excellent refs.
Mary, 763-789-7560.
CONCRETE / ASPHALT EXPERTS
Steps * Walls * Driveways
* Garage Floors
Family Business in SAP since 1971.
651-636-4996
www.GoodmansonConstruction.com
Lawn Care
YARD CLEANUPS. Seasonal lawn services. I
use a small push mower, not a big riding
mower. Gutter cleaning. Avg. monthly
costs $70. Call 651-490-7617.
For Rent
FOR RENT: Carter Avenue duplex available
June 1. Upper unit, 3 BR, LR, DR, office,
2 full baths, updated kitchen, deck, 2
garage stalls, shared laundry. $1850 includes heat/water/garbage. Kurt, 612964-3885.
YARD & GARDEN CLEANUP. Get a head start
on summer with a professional cleanup
by a Certified Landscaper. Call 651-2780472 for a free estimate.
GRETA JUNE GARDENS: maintaining gardens and containers in outdoor spaces.
UMN Horticulture grad. MNLA member.
Taking appointments beginning May 4th.
Call Gretchen at 612-267-3729 and visit:
gretajunegardens.com
Earth Angels Gardening and Landscaping LLC
Spring clean up, design, install, Kate 651644-9433
CNT LAWN CARE INC., mowing, hedge trimming, etc. 10 years experience. Call Chris,
651-690-2427, 651-757-6339.
K&G Wallcovering
Removal
Celebrate your graduates
with an ad in the June issue
of the Park Bugle.
For $40 you can let your graduate
know how proud you are with a
business-card-size ad that includes
a photo.
Deadline is May 6th.
Contact
editor@parkbugle.org
or call 651-646-5369
Since 1971
Interior Painting & Repairs
651-636-7366
D
9OUR,OCALLY2OOTED(OME2EMODELER
E
NEW BRIGHTON WINDOWS & SCREENS. We
fix your cracked windows and broken
screens. Reasonably priced: 651-6334435
BUDGET BLINDS: 30% off your entire order
of Blinds, Shades, Shutters & more. Call
today for a FREE in-home consultation.
612-246-6139. www.budgetblinds.com
ARTISTS AT WORK House cleaning, and
more. 612-859-1583
State License
#1856
sWWWTRANSFORMEDTREECOM
sWWWTRANSFORMEDTREECOM
20/20 WINDOW WASHING:
Larry’s Window Washing.
Perfect Windows Every
Time! 651-635-9228.
PAINTING, LAWN MOWING, Jim 612-2025514
20/20 CARPET CLEANING.
Season special! Liv rom/din
rm, $75. 651-635-9228.
Roger’s Tree Service
Your full service Tree Company since 1974
ASH TREATMENTS
trimming, removals, stumps
"Voted #1
Certified Arborist
Tree Service
Roger
Gatz
by Checkbook
Magazine."
651-699-7022
www.rogertree.com
COMO
BY THE LAKE
651-645-0386
www.sourcecandg.com
SENIOR APARTMENTS
2057 Snelling Ave. N., Roseville
Open 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mon-Sat &
Noon - 6 p.m. Sunday
901 East Como Boulevard
St. Paul, MN 55103
All your GREEN needs: Mowing / Lawn Care
/ Landscaping. 22+ years in St. Paul. Call
651-695-1230. SorensenLawnCare.com
• Kitchens • Additions
• Bathrooms • Basements
• Exteriors
Minnesota’s largest, most
comprehensive selection
of comic books, both new
and back issues, as well
as trade paperbacks, collecting supplies,
statues, toys, posters,
and everything else that
has to do with the
wonderful world of
comics!
SOURCE COMICS
& GAMES
Computer Services
HARMONY PC COMPUTER REPAIR. Service
in home. 25 yrs exp. Woman-owned.
651-605-5804. www.harmonypc.us
10,000 square
feet of pure
awesome!
16
P A R K
B U G L E
n
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CPHS Cougar Sports
Eric Erickson highlights Como Park Senior High School athletics each month in the Bugle.
Como baseball begins quest for championship repeat
Coming off a 2014 season that
culminated with a conference
championship, the Como Park
Senior High School baseball team is
clear about its goal for 2015:
compete for another title.
The Cougars coaches and
players are not shy about articulating
their aims. They believe they have
what it takes to be in the mix, even
after the graduation of several key
players.
The 2014 seniors included
starters Peter Schrader, Doug
McCune-Zierath, Peter Gaertner,
Jonah Leurquin, Tor Will and Chris
Heesch, along with Harrison
Thompson and Luke Larson, who
provided help off the bench.
The class of ’14 played essential
roles in propelling the team to their
10-2 conference record. Beyond that,
they left a legacy of hard work that
remains with the new 2015 team.
Guiding the work are cocoaches Matt Smith and Lenny
Franco, now in their seventh year. It’s
a unique coaching structure, but it
clearly works. They each have
specialties and are comfortable
sharing the managing roles. When
observing them in the dugout before
practice, one senses that they enjoy
the working relationship and that the
players are also comfortable with
both personalities.
“It’s two different personalities
that are able to help and reach all
players,” senior John Wenger says.
“They are on the same page, but they
have different styles of presenting key
information the team needs.”
“It’s kind of a cool situation,”
senior Richie Gulner says, “Coach
Franco specializes in the mechanics
of pitching, and Coach Smith does
more swing mechanics and fielding
technique. Having in-depth points of
view for all aspects of the game really
helps us as players.”
Gulner and Wenger were
starting pitchers last year in crucial
contests and will form the
foundation of the rotation this season
along with senior Jake Vandome,
who was also a big contributor on the
mound in 2014. “All three can throw
strikes and deliver key pitches in
tough situations,” Smith says.
Returning the bulk of the
starting pitching provides stability for
the defense. The starting infield is
likely to feature Vandome or Gulner
at shortstop when not pitching,
junior Patrick Kolias at third base,
senior Matt Klein at second, with
juniors Chris Steinhoff and Kevin
Smith both capable on first base.
Coach Smith says the infield can
“make the routine plays, and that’s
what we’re asking them to
accomplish right now.” Franco notes
The Como baseball team: front row (L to R), Chris Steinhoff, Alex Ventrilli, Jake Vandome, John Wenger,
Alec Johnson, Jacob Barnard and Jorge Mendoza. Top row (L to R): Coach Lenny Franco, Jackson
Muehlbauer, Matt Klein, Patrick Kolias, Richie Gulner, Charlie Kray, Kevin Smith, Alex Forstrum, Nate
Jackson and coach Matt Smith. Photo by Mike Krivit
that a concern is a lack of varsity
experience in the outfield. “We’ll be
young out there,” he says.
Offensively, Gulner and
Vandome are expected to be leading
hitters. They produced last season
and are expected to get on base
frequently again. Junior catcher Jacob
Bernard also swings the bat
aggressively and should produce
runs. Mix in the patient hitting of
We
're
y!
ar
rs
our 20th
g
n
i
Ann
at
r
b Saturday, May 2nd, ive
e
l
Ce
10 a.m. - 1 p.m.
CELEBRATE WITH US!
FREE
Hot Dog, Old Dutch Chips, Soda
One per person while supplies last.
We are grateful to the people of St. Anthony Park for making this neighborhood grocery store
a success. We would also like to encourage you to support the other great businesses in the
neighborhood. We couldn’t do it without you!
Fresh Gourmet Coffee and Sandwiches Daily!
Always Fresh Meat Bread and Produce!
T
im
& To m
’s
Fresh Meat
& Groceries
M
s r
r
Just in time for
Mother’s Day!
Garden Center opens in May
All flowers are from local greenhouses:
Eiselle, Malmborgs and
Bailey Nurseries.
a r k e t
TM
2310 Como at Doswell, St. Paul, open every day 7am - 10 pm, Phone: 651-645-7360, tntspeedy@msn.com
Kolias, Smith and Steinhoff, and the
Cougars have a formidable lineup.
It’s not a lineup expected to hit
mammoth home runs, but the
coaches are confident there is enough
power for extra-base hits. Franco
credits the players for developing
disciplined hitting habits, waiting for
pitches that they can drive into the
gaps.
Depth is provided by seniors
Jorge Mendoza, Nate Jackson and
Alec Johnson, juniors Alex Ventrilli
and Alex Forstrum, and sophomores
Charlie Kray and Jackson
Muehlbauer. All of these players are
prepared to contribute with
experience they’ve gained in the
program’s JV and C-Team in
previous years.
With the “one-game-at-a-time”
mantra as a focal point, the Cougars
will have a home game and away
game against each city opponent.
While the games against Central and
Highland count the same as all the
others, they will be highly
anticipated.
Como, Central or Highland has
claimed each city crown since 2009,
and they’ve been the top three
finishers in the conference every year
since that time. The rivalries are wellestablished. It’s certain to be another
exciting season in the St. Paul City,
and the Cougars are ready to
compete.
Eric Erickson teaches at Como Park High
School, and has coached a variety of
school and youth sports teams in St. Paul
over the last 20 years. Follow twitter
@eestp for current school sports news.
Same local ownership,
proudly serving our community
Both stations open
7 days a week
• Brakes • Tires • Exhaust
• Batteries • Suspension
• Foreign & Domestic
• Walk-in Oil Changes
• Snowplowing
• Touchless Car Wash
• Lock Out/Jump Start Service
• Service Check Points
• Diesel Fuel
• Full Service Gasoline
• Emergency Service
Park Service Inc.
2277 Como Avenue
651-644-4775
651-644-1134
Stop in for fresh,
hand-made food items
including:
pizzas, deli sandwiches,
and meals-2-go.
FREE medium
coffee or
fountain soda
with purchase of 10
gallons of fuel
Como Raymond BP
2102 Como Avenue
651-646-2466